cannabisnews.com: GOP Lawmaker Wants Medical Use of Marijuana





GOP Lawmaker Wants Medical Use of Marijuana
Posted by FoM on November 27, 1999 at 08:36:43 PT
The Associated Press
Source: Baltimore Sun
A Republican lawmaker plans to introduce legislation in January that would allow Marylanders -- if they have approval of a doctor -- to smoke marijuana for medical reasons without facing state criminal penalties.
''I don't think it should be a policy of this state to arrest, prosecute and incarcerate people whose only crime is attempting to alleviate their own suffering, which they got through no fault of their own,'' said Delegate Donald Murphy, R-Baltimore County.His bill, which is still being drafted, likely would allow doctors to recommend marijuana for medical purposes for patients with a few specific medical problems, including glaucoma, multiple sclerosis and problems related to AIDS. It also could be used to control nausea by patients undergoing chemotherapy for cancer.Federal criminal charges could still be filed, but ''I can't do anything about the federal government,'' Murphy said.A debate is raging nationally over medical use of marijuana, and there is a division of opinion in medical and criminal justice circles over whether the illegal drug serves a useful medical purpose and whether it should be given to patients if it does.Since 1996, voters in California, Oregon, Alaska, Washington, Arizona, Maine and the District of Columbia have voted to approve medical use of marijuana.Murphy drafted his bill after learning of the experiences of Darrell Putman, owner of a Howard County horse farm.Putman, who has been battling non-Hodgkins lymphoma for a year, said he suffered severe nausea from chemotherapy and could not keep anything down, even pills he was given to ease the nausea.For two weeks during the summer, he was unable to eat and his weight dropped from 195 pounds to 152 pounds. Then a friend suggested he try marijuana.The next morning, he was able to keep down half a cup of Jello, then a cinnamon bun at lunch.''For dinner, I ate an entire pork chop, the whole thing. That was a significant breakthrough since I had not been able to keep anything down for half a month,'' Putman said.His weight went back up to 173 pounds before he underwent another round of chemotherapy. He has now gone through nine rounds, and is not finished with chemotherapy or using marijuana to control his nausea.''Without it, I would be losing weight and getting weaker and weaker, and I guess reaching a point where I'd be unable to withstand the rigors of the treatment,'' Putman said.He said if he has to smoke an illegal drug to save his life, ''guess what, I'm going to smoke that drug,'' he said.Murphy said he has gotten nothing but positive response from his constituents. He is also getting support from some legislative colleagues and believes that ''the chances of passing this are better than even.''Murphy and Putman point out that doctors are allowed to prescribe codeine and morphine, which they believe are more dangerous and addictive than marijuana.While the Clinton administration has supported federal prosecution of people who grow and use marijuana in states which allow it for medical purposes, the National Institute on Drug Abuse has made it easier for researchers to conduct tests on its medical uses. The federal government also has eased restrictions on use of Marinol, a byproduct of marijuana, to counter symptoms of AIDS and side-effects of chemotherapy.But Barry McCaffrey, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, remains steadfastly opposed to using marijuana for medical purposes. When the policy on Marinol was changed last summer, he said that was the ''safe and proper way'' to make components of marijuana available to the public.''November 26, 1999Associated Press
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